My trip leader and tour guide interrupted the scene. “See that?” He said, thumbing toward Lebanon.”That’s Lebanon. That’s the most fucked up country in the world.”

I stole a glance at my then-boyfriend, taken aback by the guide’s assertion. As the guide continued into Lebanon’s history, my boyfriend avoided my gaze. He knew, like I did, that we were being inundated with propaganda, knew that it was wrong, but did not want to risk being ostracized by speaking up.

The tour guide led us to a seated area, explaining why, thousands of years ago, people in surrounding lands became Jews. In some cultures, he explained, it was common practice to sacrifice their children—Jews never did. He then added, “Do you know what civilization continues to sacrifice their children?” He then held up a photo of an Arab baby with bombs strapped to it. I was sickened. It’s common knowledge that a vast majority of Palestinian parents don’t use their own children as bombs. But as I looked around, my fellow Jewish-Americans were nodding with the tour guide. Yes, yes, the Palestinians are evil and sacrifice their children like so, they silently agreed.

Jewish memory: The essence of “never forget.” Allow our collective memory to drive us to behave in our best interests in the future.

Family: You can choose your friends, but Jews are your family (regardless of if you were born into it or “adopted”). Respond to those in the family with “closeness, mutual responsibility and belonging.”

Hebrew: How can you communicate with your family if you don’t speak the same language? Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people. Learn it.

Israel: Dedication to defending Israel and/or making aliyah (immigrating to Israel) should be a core part of the your identity.

Israel is so near and dear to the Jewish identity that, to my own surprise, its national language and territory were two core parts of being able to claim a Jewish label. Indeed, being Jewish and being Israeli could appear to be synonymous. And being Israeli means being aggressively territorial, as I learned on my Birthright trip. It meant Othering the Arabs, the Muslims, the “terrorists” that surround Israel’s borders.

And believe me—I’m in the minority. A few weeks ago, I got an email from The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. It stated, “Tonight, our Greater Washington Community is channeling our sorrow and anger into unity and are coming together as part of one global Jewish community.” Another email, from The World Jewish Congress added, “Make no mistake: this murder must spur the world into action, and the fight against fanatic, extremist groups such as Hamas must be stepped up urgently.”

There is a legitimate argument that Jews in Israel are “family” as outlined in the qualifiers for being “Jewish.” We have ethnic, historical, and religious ties. Families should help each other.

But America is not my family. Neither is Israel. Jews are my family. Individuals within America are my family. A state made up of individuals should never be confused with being an individual itself. The US is heavily financially and militarily involved in the conflict on both sides, and that needs to stop. When politicians push supporting Israel, they are taxing people who are unsympathetic to the Middle Eastern country to pay for weapons and bombs that are killing civilians. It forces America to take a side, regardless of how the people inside the States feel. That is not families helping families. That’s a few powerful people bullying the greater masses into a conflict that is not their own. And it incentivizes BOTH sides to villainize the other, as I saw on my Birthright trip.

Quite frankly, when I look at the loss of life within the past month, there is no one with the clear moral upper hand. Violence is being met with violence. Both sides are trying to play the victim. I don’t want to get my hand caught in this dog fight. I’m sick of each side villainizing each other. I’m sick of the propaganda that is inundating Jewish and Muslim American children. Both dogs–Israel and Palestine–are biting us, instilling us with hate and a resolve to make the United States a puppet for our interests.

Donate your body, prayers, energy, and money privately. Don’t drag the rest of your country in with you–it’s not their fight. And if you’re asking yourself, “What good can I do alone?” I have a very old book that you should probably read.

About the author

Rachel Burger is a political commentator based out of the nation’s capital. Rachel’s articles and opinions have appeared in Forbes, TownHall, PJ Media, The Libertarian Republic, Red State, and a plethora of other outlets both online and in print. She is also a regular columnist at Communities Daily News. Currently, Rachel works in the private sector as an analyst. Rachel graduated with an MA from University of Chicago’s Committee on International Relations and with a BA from Agnes Scott College.

About Us

We are a team of ladies writing about freedom. We want to make it clear why everyone, but especially women, should appreciate what liberty does for them. We are also writing to the liberty movement, because sometimes our voices get lost in the crowd.

Writers here might agree on occasion. Other times they will debate. They will sometimes write about women. Sometimes they won’t. That is the nature of individualism; everyone has a story to tell, and we are here to let women tell theirs.